Zenescope Entertainment 2016
Written by Joe Brusha
Illustrated by Eric J & Gregbo Watson
Coloured by Marco Lesko
Lettered by Matt Krotzer
The destruction that Chaos promised is well underway, and now even the world’s leaders bow down to the new gods. But there is still the will to fight the gods’ evil in the human spirit, which Chaos cannot abide. In an ultimate show of power he destroys the moon, wreaking havoc on the Earth below. Meanwhile, at the hidden base, Derrick agrees to help resurrect an old military project — codename EVL— that could aid mankind in their fight against the new gods. He and a team of volunteers undergo genetic mutations that, if successful, could give them the power to rival the might of the new gods and bring their reign of terror to an end.
After the group had decided they would undergo the rigors of codename EVL we open up with this issue as that group is trying out their new abilities. I’ll admit though when I started reading this I wasn’t aware this was a training exercise and it was pretty well done that way. Even though we quickly grasp what happening here I have to say that Joe’s doing a pretty good job showing both sides of the argument, they aren’t ready for full scale encounters and need more time to jell versus time is of the essence and they need to strike while they can.
Hmm the Olympus intro was interesting and thanks for the gratuitous butt shot on that one. So is he possessing someone or is there a connection there that we aren’t aware of? Nice little bit of intrigue thrown into the mix for something later. Could he be the weak link among these Gods who’ve returned?
Well I do like that they’ve chosen the Romanian Bat/Vampire for their first target, or it was chosen for them. They believe him to be their powerfully weakest member and has isolated himself during all the activity making him the one to hit first. This demonstrates both sides of the earlier coin very well. However without these actual combat situations the team will never be able to pull off what they hope and there will be casualties along the way. The real question is can they do enough damage and survive long enough in the process?
The interior artwork here is fantastic. The use of page layouts through angles, perspective and use of backgrounds continues to really get the reader into the story. Plus the colouring is pretty top notch especially where the new fire based character is concerned. The attention to detail is phenomenal to see and it really does make this more of a joy to read. The guys add some great suspense and additional characterisation through the work, facial expressions and body language here.
With the death of one of their own the Gods decided to unleash their anger. Well okay so it’s really only one of them who seems to be the biggest most powerfully bully in the room. How the team will respond and who’s next on their hitlist will be interesting to see.
I’m actually rather impressed with this story and how it’s progressing. The attention to plot advancement and characterisation are going well. The power of hope that can be brought through the actions of a few is being thought out well. That we don’t know exactly who these Gods are or which Pantheons they originally come from is a nice mystery to keep having for now. Overall this a very solid book and it’s very entertaining.